California Raisins Are Really Cooking At The Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

California Raisins Are Really Cooking At The Food & Wine Classic in Aspen

The California Raisin Marketing Board today announced that California raisins will have a major presence at the 22nd Annual Food & Wine Magazine Classic At Aspen this June 10-12.

At the five grand tastings throughout the inspiring three-day event, California raisins will have two booths in the Grand Tasting Pavilion tempting the 5,000 attendees with Desserts and Savory Dishes. California raisins will have information available on how to enter the “Coast to Coast Raisin Recipe Contest” which kicked off on May 1, 2005. Along with great prizes, the winning recipes will be featured in a 2006 California Raisin Recipe Calendar.

Even more exciting, California raisins will be included as a “must have” ingredient in the Classic Cook-Off competition featuring four celebrity chefs. The event is a spin-off of the original Food Network Show – “Ready, Set, Cook” – where chefs were asked to create culinary masterpieces with a bag of unknown ingredients. California raisins will also accompany the fare at both the Welcome Reception and the American Express Trade Breakfast.

The California Raisin Marketing Board is participating in this world-renowned event to educate consumers and the professional cooking industry about the many benefits and versatility of California raisins in cooked dishes. Some points to consider:

·Everyone knows raisins are great straight out of the box and in sweet and tangy pastries or desserts. But more and more of the world’s greatest chefs are using raisins in everything from appetizers to salads to entrees to add just the right touch of sweetness or to balance spicy dishes. Wolfgang Puck said, “Truly innovative dishes can be created by adding a handful of California Raisins. They’re really wonderful in a traditional strudel or exotic Moroccan lamb dish.”

·California raisins come in many varieties that make them ideal for amateur and professional cooks alike. They are available as natural Natural Seedless, Golden, and other types in a variety of sizes, and also as an all-natural raisin paste or raisin juice concentrate that significantly increases their versatility.

·Raisins rank among the top antioxidant foods because they contain important phytochemicals and add important minerals including iron and potassium in the diet. Raisins are also a source of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber. Soluble fiber helps lower blood cholesterol; insoluble fiber is important for maintaining regularity and colonic health.

About The California Raisin Marketing Board – Created by a State Marketing Order in 1998, the California Raisin Marketing Board provides support to almost five thousand raisin growers and is 100 percent grower funded. Its mission is to support and promote the increased use of California-grown raisins throughout North America and sponsors research of the fruit’s nutritional benefits. To learn more about the California Raisin Marketing Board, visit our web site at www.calraisins.org.